Are you a GMod player looking to optimize your experience in game? If you find that your game is running slower than usual, you're in the right place. In this guide, we will explore various methods to help you make GMod run faster on your computer.
Why is GMod so laggy in the first place?
Garry's Mod is more than 2 decades old. The age of the game combined with the large amount of custom content players usually use creates lots of lag. Using the proper methods, you can easily diagnose these issues, and you can fix them before they even start.
How to Make GMod Load Faster
To make GMod run better, there are a variety of fixes you can try. This guide will go down the list of things you can try from high priority to low priority.
Check to make sure all of your settings in game are optimized.
- Do your resolution settings in Video match the screen resolution of your monitor?
- Set Anti Aliasing Mode to a lower setting.
- Set Filtering Mode to a lower setting.
- Set Wait for Vertical Sync to Disabled.
- Do you have multicore rendering enabled? If you're on a server that supports it, that might help.
- Clear your GMod Cache (scroll down)
Usually, the largest culprits for performance issues in Garry's Mod are Model and Texture detail, these are the settings that you should pay attention to the most.
If you want to do something extra, open your console and type menu_cleanupgmas, this will remove any unused .GMA files.
Do all the stuff you (probably) haven't been doing to keep your computer running well!
- Update your graphics card drivers.
- Do that Windows update you've probably been holding off on for weeks.
- If you are on a laptop, navigate to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options in your Windows settings. Turn on High Performance
- If you really need to prioritize GMod, open your task manager while the game is running. You can open task manager by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del, then selecting Task Manager. After opening the Task Manager, right click on gmod.exe and click Set As Priority > High.
- Clean up your PC using CCleaner, and run an Anti-Malware software.
GMod Console Commands for Better FPS
This method for increasing performance is harder, but it is definitely worth it if your computer has performance issues. Only perform these steps after you have done everything else, as this should only be a last resort.
Create a file called autoexec.cfg in a text editor like Notepad++ and put it in the C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\GarrysMod\garrysmod\cfg directory. This way, you won't need to type each of these commands into your console every time you launch Garry's Mod.
To boost your FPS in GMod, try typing these commands in your developer console. If you don't want to do that every time you load in, follow the steps to create an autoexec.cfg file to put in to the folder directory we just mentioned above. Put each command on a separate line.
GMod FPS Boost Console Commands - Client Side
- sv_cheats 1 - This is required to make every command on this list work.
- r_lod 8 - Changes the model quality of player models to be lower.
- mat_dxlevel 70 - Forces the game to use DirectX 7, use only if you play on a toaster.
- mat_picmip 4 - Changes the texture detail. Experiment with this command in game.
- mat_showlowresimage 1 - Changes everything to Half Life 1 textures.
- r_shadows 0 - Turns off shadows.
- r_decals 0 - Turns off decals.
- r_lod 2 - Lowers model detail for models that are further away from you.
To load all of these settings while you are playing, open the console and type exec autoexec.cfg
Once you are in-game, you can monitor the differences that these commands are making by typing net_graph 4. This will open up a dashboard with information on your FPS.
How to Clear GMod Cache
While not a direct performance booster, clearing your cache folder in GMod is always a nice way to clear out your folder. By clearing your cache, you are removing addons that you don't actively use when you play. This helps a lot, especially if you have hundreds or even thousands of addons.
To clear your cache, navigate to the C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\Steamapps\Common\GarrysMod\garrysmod\ directory. You will see a folder named cache. Delete the folder named cache. If you need to save more space, delete everything in the download and downloads folder.
By doing this, you will need to redownload all the content you are subscribed to on the workshop.